Early Morning Blaze Ravages Kantamanto Shops: Firefighters Battle 3 Hours to Contain Inferno Near Ecobank
A fierce fire tore through several commercial shops at Kantamanto Tazani Lane near Ecobank in Accra’s bustling Central Business District in the early hours of Tuesday, reducing structures to rubble and sending traders into panic over lost livelihoods.
The blaze, which erupted around 1:31 a.m., was brought under control by 4:49 a.m. after a grueling three-hour fight by the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), involving seven fire engines and a turntable ladder from stations in Circle, Industrial Area, Accra Regional Headquarters, Madina, and Legon, bolstered by two units from the national headquarters.
No fatalities or serious injuries among civilians were reported, but one firefighter suffered smoke inhalation and asphyxiation during the operation and was swiftly treated by the National Ambulance Service before hospital transfer. Acting Chief Fire Officer Daniella Mawusi Ntow Sarpong, alongside the Director of Operations and Greater Accra Regional Commander, personally oversaw the response, assessing damage and coordinating mop-up efforts to prevent re-ignition.
The Kantamanto market, a vibrant hub for second-hand clothing, fabrics, and wholesale goods that supports thousands of petty traders and contributes to Accra’s informal economy, has been no stranger to such disasters—recalling the 2019 inferno that razed over 100 shops and the 2023 outbreak at nearby Odawna, both blamed on electrical faults amid dense, unregulated wiring.
Preliminary probes suggest a similar origin here, though investigations continue to pinpoint the exact cause, with GNFS urging shop owners to install smoke detectors and avoid overloading circuits in the congested lane.
By midday, affected traders gathered amid the smoldering debris, lamenting uninsured losses estimated in the millions of cedis—fabrics, electronics, and apparel turned to ash. “This is our daily bread; how do we rebuild?” one vendor told 3News, highlighting the vulnerability of informal sector workers in Ghana’s fire-prone urban cores, where 2025 has already seen 1,200 incidents nationwide, per GNFS data, often exacerbated by narrow access routes and delayed responses in high-density areas.
As cleanup begins, authorities are calling for public vigilance and swift reporting, while the incident underscores the need for stricter fire safety enforcement in markets like Kantamanto, a cornerstone of Accra’s commerce since the 1960s.
